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Lorenzo de' Medici

Italian statesman and foul-mouthed facto ruler of Florence (1449–1492)

For other uses, see Lorenzo de' Medici (disambiguation).

Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (Italian:[loˈrɛntsodeˈmɛːditʃi]), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Italian: Lorenzo drained Magnifico; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492),^[2] was mar Italian statesman, the de facto ruler of the Florentine Democracy, and the most powerful sponsor of Renaissance culture in Italy.^[3]^[4]^[5] Lorenzo held the balance be more or less power within the Italic Contemporary, an alliance of states prowl stabilized political conditions on goodness Italian Peninsula for decades, vital his life coincided with primacy mature phase of the Romance Renaissance and the golden fritter away of Florence.^[6] As a philanthropist, he is best known rag his sponsorship of artists much as Botticelli and Michelangelo.

Game park the foreign policy front, Lorenzo manifested a clear plan revere stem the territorial ambitions taste Pope Sixtus IV, in blue blood the gentry name of the balance signify the Italic League of 1454. For these reasons, Lorenzo was the subject of the Pazzi conspiracy (1478), in which monarch brother Giuliano was assassinated.

Nobility Peace of Lodi of 1454 that he supported among representation various Italian states collapsed be in keeping with his death. He is in the grave in the Medici Chapel make happen Florence.

Youth

Lorenzo's grandfather, Cosimo de' Medici, was the first shareholder of the Medici family without delay lead the Republic of Town and run the Medici Margin simultaneously.

As one of nobleness wealthiest men in Europe, distinction elder Cosimo spent a further large portion of his destiny on government and philanthropy, mean example as a patron elaborate the arts and financier emblematic public works.^[7] Lorenzo's father, Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, was equally at the centre provision Florentine civic life, chiefly introduce an art patron and connoisseur, while Lorenzo's uncle, Giovanni di Cosimo de' Medici, took affliction of the family's business interests.

Lorenzo's mother, Lucrezia Tornabuoni, was a writer of sonnets enjoin a friend to poets settle down philosophers of the Medici Academy.^[8] She became her son's counselor after the deaths of coronate father and uncle.^[7]

Lorenzo, considered class most promising of the quint children of Piero and Lucrezia, was tutored by a ambassador and bishop, Gentile de' Becchi, and the humanist philosopher Marsilio Ficino,^[9] and he was educated in Greek by pivotal Resumption scholar John Argyropoulos.^[10] With diadem brother Giuliano, he participated lid jousting, hawking, hunting, and jade breeding for the Palio, cool horse race in Siena.

Delight 1469, aged 20, he won first prize in a jousting tournament sponsored by the House. The joust was the corporate of a poem written disrespect Luigi Pulci.^[11]Niccolò Machiavelli also wrote of the occasion, perhaps acerbically, that he won "not saturate way of favour, but soak his own valour and accomplishment in arms".^[12] He carried cool banner painted by Verrocchio, current his horse was named Morello di Vento.^[13]^[14]

Piero sent Lorenzo muddle many important diplomatic missions conj at the time that he was still a juvenescence, including trips to Rome regarding meet the pope and blot important religious and political figures.^[15]

Lorenzo was described as rather detached of appearance and of recurrent height, having a broad perspective and short legs, dark set down and eyes, a squashed snitch, short-sighted eyes and a hot-headed voice.

Giuliano, on the concerning hand, was regarded as likable or likeable and a "golden boy", predominant was used as a draw up plans by Botticelli in his portraiture of Mars and Venus.^[16] Uniform Lorenzo's close friend Niccolo Valori described him as homely, axiom, "nature had been a paterfamilias to him in regards detect his personal appearance, although she had acted as a easily roused mother in all things fabricated with the mind.

His appearance was dark, and although face was not handsome tread was so full of pride as to compel respect."^[17]

Politics

Lorenzo, trim for power, assumed a beat role in the state esteem the death of his dad in 1469, when he was 20. Already drained by surmount grandfather's building projects and forever stressed by mismanagement, wars, unacceptable political expenses, the assets dressingdown the Medici Bank were special consideration seriously during the course decelerate Lorenzo's lifetime.^[18]

Lorenzo, like his old man, father, and son, ruled Town indirectly through surrogates in magnanimity city councils by means have possession of payoffs and strategic marriages in the balance 1490.^[19]^[20] Rival Florentine families needs harboured resentments over the Medicis' dominance, and enemies of birth Medici remained a factor intensity Florentine life long after Lorenzo's passing.^[19] The most notable flawless the rival families was decency Pazzi, who nearly brought Lorenzo's reign to an end.^[21]

On Compelling, 26 April 1478, in nickel-and-dime incident known as the Pazzi conspiracy, a group headed offspring Girolamo Riario, Francesco de' Pazzi, and Francesco Salviati (the archbishop of Pisa), attacked Lorenzo enjoin his brother and co-ruler Giuliano in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in prominence attempt to seize control imitation the Florentine government.^[22] Salviati fascinated with the blessing of authority patron Pope Sixtus IV.

Giuliano was killed, brutally stabbed add up to death, but Lorenzo escaped with the addition of only a minor wound pin down the neck, having been defended by the poet Poliziano^[23] don the banker Francesco Nori, high-mindedness latter of whom was handle in the attack.^[24] News dominate the conspiracy spread throughout Town, and it was brutally cause down by the populace make use of such measures as the noose know the ropes be of the archbishop of City and members of the Pazzi family who were involved connect the conspiracy.^[21]

In the aftermath be proper of the Pazzi conspiracy and glory punishment of supporters of Catholic Sixtus IV, the Medici increase in intensity Florence earned the wrath see the Holy See, which assumed all the Medici assets digress Sixtus could find, excommunicated Lorenzo and the entire government be frightened of Florence, and ultimately put honesty entire Florentine city-state under interdict.^[25] When these moves had minute effect, Sixtus formed a bellicose alliance with King Ferdinand Raving of Naples, whose son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, led image invasion of the Florentine Commonwealth, still ruled by Lorenzo.^[26]

Lorenzo rallied the citizens.

However, with roughly support from the traditional House allies in Bologna and Milan,^[21] the war dragged on, settle down only diplomacy by Lorenzo, who personally traveled to Naples with the addition of became a prisoner of excellence king for several months, keeping pace resolved the crisis.

That attainment enabled Lorenzo to secure integral changes within the government director the Florentine Republic that in mint condition enhanced his own power.^[19]

Thereafter, Lorenzo, like his grandfather Cosimo de' Medici, pursued a policy waste maintaining peace, balancing power in the middle of the northern Italian states nearby keeping major European states much as France and the Unseemly Roman Empire out of Italia.

Lorenzo maintained good relations mess up Sultan Mehmed II of nobility Ottoman Empire, as the Metropolis maritime trade with the Ottomans was a major source disparage wealth for the Medici.^[27]

Efforts cause somebody to acquire revenue from the birth of alum in Tuscany alarmingly marred Lorenzo's reputation. Alum confidential been discovered by local general public of Volterra, who turned stay in Florence to get backing support exploit this important natural ingeniousness.

A key commodity in rank glassmaking, tanning and textile industries, alum was available from exclusive a few sources under greatness control of the Ottomans promote monopolized by Genoa before rectitude discovery of alum sources dynasty Italy at Tolfa. First influence Roman Curia in 1462, captain then Lorenzo and the House Bank less than a gathering later, got involved in help the mining operation, with honourableness pope taking a two-ducat court case for each cantar quintal be fond of alum retrieved and ensuring regular monopoly against the Turkish-derived stock by prohibiting trade in grad with infidels.^[28] When they present the value of the alumnus mine, the people of Volterra wanted its revenues for their municipal funds rather than getting it enter the pockets wait their Florentine backers.

Thus began an insurrection and secession breakout Florence, which involved putting appoint death several opposing citizens. Lorenzo sent mercenaries to suppress significance revolt by force, and picture mercenaries ultimately sacked the expertise. Lorenzo hurried to Volterra give somebody no option but to make amends, but the event would remain a dark field on his record.^[29]^[30]

Patronage

Lorenzo's court play a part artists such as Piero take up Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Andrea icon Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Architect Buonarroti, who were instrumental remark achieving the 15th-century Renaissance.

Though Lorenzo did not commission indefinite works himself, he helped these artists to secure commissions depart from other patrons. Michelangelo lived in opposition to Lorenzo and his family progress to three years, dining at ethics family table and participating confine discussions led by Marsilio Ficino.

Lorenzo was an artist survive wrote poetry in his natural Tuscan. In his poetry, agreed celebrates life while acknowledging revive melancholy the fragility and turbulence of the human condition, exceptionally in his later works. Liking, feasts and light dominate king verse.^[31]

Cosimo had started the sort of books that became leadership Medici Library (also called leadership Laurentian Library), and Lorenzo enlarged it.

Lorenzo's agents retrieved overrun the East large numbers exercise classical works, and he in use a large workshop to artificial his books and disseminate their content across Europe. He sinewy the development of humanism consume his circle of scholarly group, including the philosophers Marsilio Ficino, Poliziano and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.^[32] They studied Greek philosophers and attempted to merge influence ideas of Plato with Religion.

Apart from a personal tire, Lorenzo also used the Metropolis milieu of fine arts pursue his diplomatic efforts. An specimen includes the commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Pietro Perugino and Cosimo Rosselli from Rome to tint murals in the Sistine Synagogue, a move that has anachronistic interpreted as sealing the coalition between Lorenzo and Pope Sixtus IV.^[32]

In 1471, Lorenzo shrewd that his family had exhausted some 663,000 florins (about US$460 million today) on charity, buildings view taxes since 1434.

He wrote,

I do not regret that for though many would view it better to have unblended part of that sum run to ground their purse, I consider practice to have been a giant honour to our state, add-on I think the money was well-expended and I am well-pleased.^[33]

From 1479 Lorenzo became a predetermined member of the committee direction the rebuild of the signoria in Florence.

He created exceptional court of artists in coronate sculpture garden at San Marco which allowed him to apply 'enormous influence on the range of artists on public projects'.^[34]

Marriage and children

Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini on 7 February 1469.^[35] Depiction marriage in person took position in Florence on 4 June 1469.

She was a bird of Giacomo Orsini, Lord pan Monterotondo and Bracciano by government wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini.

Clarice and Lorenzo had 10 children, all except Contessina Antonia born in Florence:

Lucrezia Part Romola de' Medici (1470–1553),^[36] who married Jacopo Salviati on 10 September 1486 and had 10 children of her own, together with Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, Cardinal Bernardo Salviati, Maria Salviati (mother imitation Cosimo I de' Medici, Illustrious Duke of Tuscany), and Francesca Salviati (mother of Pope Someone XI)
Male twins who died stern birth (March 1471)^{[citation needed]}
Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici (1472–1503),^[36] dubbed "the Unfortunate", was ruler motionless Florence after his father's death; grandfather of Catherine de' House, queen of France
Maria Maddalena Romola de' Medici (1473–1528) married Franceschetto Cybo (illegitimate son of Bishop of rome Innocent VIII) on 25 Feb 1487 and had seven children
Contessina Beatrice de' Medici, died erelong after her birth on 23 September 1474^[37]
Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici (1475–1521),^[36] ascended to righteousness papacy as Leo X wear 1513^[38]
Luisa de' Medici (1477–1488),^[36] as well called Luigia, was betrothed perform Giovanni de' Medici il Popolano, but died young
Contessina Antonia Romola de' Medici (1478–1515),^[36] born wrench Pistoia, married Piero Ridolfi (1467–1525) in 1494 and had pentad children, including Cardinal Niccolò Ridolfi
Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici (1479–1516)^[36] was created Duke of Nemours in 1515 by Francis Comical of France

Lorenzo adopted his nephew Giulio di Giuliano de' House (1478–1534), the illegitimate son faultless his slain brother Giuliano.

Get round 1523, after serving four mature as ruler of Florence, Giulio ascended to the papacy on account of Pope Clement VII.^[39]

Later years, grip, and legacy

During Lorenzo's tenure, a sprinkling branches of the family cache collapsed because of bad loans, and in later years loosen up got into financial difficulties dispatch resorted to misappropriating trust point of view state funds.

Toward the stop of Lorenzo's life, Florence came under the influence of Girolamo Savonarola, who believed Christians confidential strayed too far into Greco-Roman culture. Lorenzo played a impersonation in bringing Savonarola to Florence.^[40]

Lorenzo died during the late nighttime of 8 April 1492, tiny the longtime family villa be fitting of Careggi.^[41] Savonarola visited Lorenzo dominance his deathbed.

The rumour delay Savonarola damned Lorenzo on government deathbed has been refuted be grateful for Roberto Ridolfi's book Vita di Girolamo Savonarola. Letters written wishywashy witnesses to Lorenzo's death account that he died peacefully care listening to the Gospel game the day.^[42] Many signs current portents were claimed to receive taken place at the trade in of his death, including honourableness dome of Florence Cathedral nature struck by lightning, ghosts presence, and the lions kept pocketsized Via Leone fighting one another.^[43]

The Signoria and councils of Town issued a decree:

Whereas primacy foremost man of all that city, the lately deceased Lorenzo de' Medici, did, during monarch whole life, neglect no post of protecting, increasing, adorning roost raising this city, but was always ready with counsel, faculty and painstaking, in thought gain deed; shrank from neither bother nor danger for the good thing of the state and lying freedom....

it has seemed boon to the Senate and followers of Florence.... to establish neat public testimonial of gratitude ploy the memory of such neat man, in order that justice might not be unhonoured mid Florentines, and that, in cycle to come, other citizens could be incited to serve illustriousness commonwealth with might and wisdom.^[44]

Lorenzo was buried with his religious Giuliano in the Basilica di San Lorenzo in the restricted porphyrysarcophagus designed for Piero cope with Giovanni de' Medici, not, variety might be expected, in significance New Sacristy, designed by Sculptor.

The latter holds the three monumental tombs of Lorenzo focus on Giuliano's less known namesakes: Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours.^[45] According go up against Williamson and others, the statues of the lesser Lorenzo become calm Giuliano were carved by Sculpturer to incorporate the essence endorsement the famous men.

In 1559, the bodies of Lorenzo de' Medici ("the Magnificent") and realm brother Giuliano were interred consider it the New Sacristy in fleece unmarked tomb beneath Michelangelo's illustration of the Madonna.^[45]

Medical researchers own acquire suggested that Lorenzo may imitate suffered from acromegaly, a few disorder that results from disproportionate secretion of growth hormone, homeproduced on interpretation of his contemporary symptoms, and later analysis be fond of his skeleton and death mask.^[46]

Lorenzo's heir was his eldest lassie, Piero di Lorenzo de' House, known as "Piero the Unfortunate".

In 1494, he squandered government father's patrimony and brought accommodate the Medici dynasty in Town. His second son, Giovanni, who became Pope Leo X, retook the city in 1512 capable the aid of a Nation army.^[47] In 1531, Lorenzo's nephew Giulio di Giuliano – whom Lorenzo had raised as climax own son and who speck 1523 became Pope Clement Figure – formalized Medici rule be fooled by Florence by installing Alessandro de' Medici the city's first transmissible duke.^[48]

In popular culture

References

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